Contents

Biographical record

In 2293, the destruction of the KlingonmoonPraxis forced the Klingon Empire to reassess its position towards the United Federation of Planets, as the Empire simply could no longer afford to maintain its massive military budget and deal with the devastating effects of the explosion on its economy. Gorkon approached the Federation via CaptainSpock and opened negotiations that would see the military outposts on both sides of the Klingon Neutral Zone dismantled and a new alliance forged between the two cold war enemies.

Gorkon's peace initiatives were met with open arms by the Federation Council, but there were those on both sides who objected. A plot was forged between individuals associated with the Federation, the Romulan Empire, and even GeneralChang, Gorkon's chief of staff. Gorkon traveled to rendezvous with the USS Enterprise-A aboard his flagship, Kronos One, and attended a formal dinner aboard the Enterprise with Captain Kirk and his crew. While there, Gorkon expressed his hope for the future – which he termed "the undiscovered country" – and for peace between the Empire and the Federation.

Gorkon succumbs to his wounds

Gorkon was back aboard Kronos One when, later that evening, the vessel was disabled by two photon torpedoes. They were fired by an experimental Bird-of-Prey which was under the command of General Chang and had the unique ability to fire while cloaked. As Kronos One drifted out-of-control, two mysterious assassins from the Enterprisebeamed aboard, their faces hidden by helmets they wore. The fact that Kronos One was crippled by a lack of artificial gravity made it easy for the intruders, equipped with gravity boots, to systematically kill Klingons en route to the Chancellor. Indeed, they were able to easily injure a floating and defenseless Gorkon with a phaser shot to the chest, mortally wounding him. After Kronos One had restored power, Captain Kirk and DoctorLeonard McCoy beamed aboard to provide medical assistance. McCoy attempted to resuscitate Gorkon and was able to briefly bring him back to consciousness. With his dying breath, Gorkon motioned for Kirk to approach him, pleading, "Don't let it end this way, captain." In the wake of his death, Gorkon's daughter, Azetbur, was elevated to the position of Chancellor. She continued to champion her father's ideals of peace, even in the face of resistance from her own cabinet. The conspiracy was eventually uncovered by the crew of the Enterprise, enabling the continuation of the peace talks.

Another facet of the character that was conceived by Nick Meyer was Gorkon's assassination. ("The Perils of Peacemaking", Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Blu-ray/Special Edition) DVD) Speaking of himself and Denny Martin Flinn, Meyer recalled, "We had created Gorkon and then, in effect, extrapolating from what we read in the newspapers or saw on television, [we] imagined his likely fate." (The View from the Bridge - Memories of Star Trek and a Life in Hollywood, hardcover ed., p. 224)

In the screenplay for Star Trek VI, Gorkon is described as "tall, splendidly barbaric." The script also shows that his dying words were originally to have been asking Kirk, "Are you all right?" [2]

Casting and physical presence

It would not have been seemly possible for such an eminent politician as Gorkon to be clad in the military attire of an ordinary Klingon warrior. Partly due to this (and also because there was not enough Klingon uniforms already available for the entire film), Costume Designer Dodie Shepard especially designed a set of new Klingon uniforms for Gorkon and his staff. (text commentary, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Special Edition) DVD) One aspect of Gorkon's backstory was intended to be implied by a certain prop; his bone cane was meant to be from a form of vicious animal he had once killed. (The Making of the Trek Films, 3rd ed., p. 128)

It was Nick Meyer's intention that Gorkon physically resemble Abraham Lincoln. "When I started to work with David Warner on his characterization as Gorkon," remembered Meyer, "that's when I got this Lincolnesque idea of making him look like Lincoln in some way." ("The Perils of Peacemaking", Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country(Blu-ray/Special Edition) DVD) This concept was addressed by the character's makeup design. (The Art of Star Trek, p. 264) Richard Snell – who designed and fabricated the film's Klingon, Vulcan and Romulan prosthetics – offered, "Nick told me, 'When people look at Gorkon, I want their brain cells to go, 'Abe Lincoln!' The resemblance is almost subliminal." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 22, No. 5, p. 34) Captain Ahab was another, less powerful influence on how Nick Meyer wanted the character to look. (audio commentary, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Special Edition)DVD; Cinefex No. 49, p. 50) "Incorporating those two images was really genius on his part," enthused Ken Myers. The makeup design reflected the director's desire that Gorkon's allegiances be not immediately apparent. "From his appearance, it was impossible to tell whether he was friend or foe," observed Myers. "Subliminally, there were aspects of both." Due to the lengthy duration it took to apply the makeup for Azetbur, Myers was forced to hand over his other assignment, the prosthetics for Gorkon, to Margaret Bessara. (Cinefex No. 49, p. 50)

David Warner found that playing Gorkon was fairly easy and that the combination of influences between Abraham Lincoln and Gorbachev was "the fun thing" about the role. (Star Trek: Communicator issue 118, p. 66) Though Warner had known next to nothing about Klingons before portraying Gorkon, another factor that attracted him to the role was the chancellor's rare Klingon benevolence. "He wasn't the evil master Klingon; he was actually trying to make peace [....] So he was a good Klingon, I suppose," Warner mused. "And, of course, he suffered because of that." [4] Despite normally having to arrive as early as 3 a.m. to have his makeup applied (prior to a regular shooting start of 10 a.m.), Warner did not feel that the makeup had any relevance to the way he played the character. He also didn't believe that the mixture of historical figures embodied in the role effected his performance. "That didn't alter the dialogue or anything," he said. (Star Trek Magazine issue 153, p. 47)

David Warner recognized that the role was not a particularly large one, stating, "I just sat there for one scene and then got killed! [....] In a way he's a kind of device. Which is fine – I don't have a problem with that. It's exposition, setting it all up." (Star Trek Magazine issue 153, p. 47) On the other hand, Nick Meyer theorized, "If the movie had been a biography of Gorkon, you might have witnessed the evolution of his thinking, the emancipation of his mind." ("The Perils of Peacemaking", Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Blu-ray/Special Edition) DVD)

Gorkon's ability to be forward-thinking was elemental in the portrayal of the character. "With David Warner as Gorkon," Nick Meyer recalled, "I said, 'Picture yourself as the only man with imagination in this room. The other people are flat, boring. They don't know what's going on. They can't, you know, think around corners.'" ("The Perils of Peacemaking", Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Blu-ray/Special Edition) DVD)

Stuntman Greg Gault filled in for David Warner during the stunt scene and several second unit and insert shoots. (Star Trek VI - 2nd Unit Shooting Schedule)

In the PC video game Star Trek: Klingon Academy, Gorkon and Chang's relationship before the events of Star Trek VI are shown. In that depiction of their acquaintance, Gorkon is the chief of staff for Chancellor Lorak (Lorak at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works) and Chang is shown as trying to prevent the ascendancy of his friend, Gorkon, to the chancellorship, because of the danger Gorkon would make peace with the Federation.

The Star Trek VI novelization establishes that Gorkon expected something to happen to him during the peace mission to the Federation and so therefore used his influence with his supporters on the High Council to make sure that they would install Azetbur as his successor. It is hinted that he suspected such an attempt in the movie; when Kronos One was being "attacked" by the Enterprise, he ordered someone to find Chang, hinting that he suspected Chang of being part of this betrayal.

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